Note: Hi everyone! OMG! Thank you sooo much for all your reviews, I really appreciate it! You guys are just the greatest! I hope after this fic that you will all continue to support me on my next 'M' series! This chapter will reveal all about the whereabouts of our dearly devoted Squall. Oh yes and Edea is here! _ She happens to be Raine's sister! Interesting, eh? ;)
Chapter 22 – Where's Squall?
There are many things in life that he truly cared about... School, grades, friends and Rinoa, Rinoa, Rinoa. He remembered, the first time they met, Squall knew there was just something in the girl that made him change. He didn't know HOW he changed, but he somehow did. He felt happier- confident about his life (except of course towards his father). He would do anything for her… even taking a plane ride to Washington, D.C. and abandoning his family back home. He knew 'he' would be there, living a happy, normal life with his family, with a deep, dark secret hidden from his wife. This man, who slept with a fifteen year old girl and impregnated her; no one knew his name, except for Rinoa's trusted friend and mother-figure, Patti. That's how he knew to head on to Washington, D.C. and face him once and for all and fix this problem. Ian Adamms, the man with a good job, a nice house, a beautiful family, was in for a surprise of his life.
Squall stood, trying to figure out what to say, before knocking on the beautiful Victorian home's antique door. He had to wait a couple of seconds, before a Mexican middle-aged woman, dressed in a maid's uniform answered it. "May I help you?" she asked.
He cleared his throat and as clear as possible said, "May I please speak with Ian Adamms?"
The woman looked at him suspiciously. "And whom may I ask wishes to speak with him?" she asked with an accent.
Squall took a deep breath. "My name is Squall Leonhart and I'm a friend….of his… I'm an old friend…" When he noticed her look, he cleared his throat and added, "We go way back."
"Who is it, Rosario?" another woman's voice spoke. A figure revealed herself from behind the maid. She was a thirty something year old red and curly haired woman dressed in casual clothes. "May I help you?" she asked when she noticed Squall standing there.
"My name is Squall Leonhart. I wish to speak with your husband Mrs. Adamms…" He sounded formal, more like some kind of cop doing an investigative research.
The woman seemed to have an impression that he was, when she asked, "What has my husband done now?" That question surprised Squall a whole lot. So he DID sound like a police officer.
"Um…" He shook his head, eager to let her know that he wasn't a cop after all. Besides, he was far too young to be playing 'cop.' "I am not a cop, Mrs. Adamms. I just need to speak with him about something. Is he here?"
"There's no need to be formal here, young man. I'm not the Queen of England. Call me Bridgette. And Ian isn't here right now. He is away on business trip…" When she noticed the disappointment on his face, she added, "He'll be back in a week."
Squall nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Well then, I'll be back in a week to meet with him." He put the other strap on his other shoulder and adjusted both of them on his back. "Have a good afternoon, Mrs…. Bridgette."
"Wait…" Squall stopped at the sound of the woman's voice and turned around. She took a step forward down the stairs and looked at him curiously. "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Seattle, Washington," he replied.
Bridgette folded her arms across her chest, and then casually lifted up a single eyebrow. "Seattle, eh? I never thought someone like you would travel all the way here just for something small."
Squall shook his head. "It's not something small. And I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Mrs. Adamms."
The last words threw Bridgette off guard. "What?"
Squall nodded again. "I better go. I have already interfered with your day. I'll come back in a week." With that said, he turned and left.
Bridgette watched the young man leave. "Who was that, madam?" her maid asked. The younger woman sighed and closed the door. Without answering Rosario's answer, she walked to the kitchen and said, "Rosario, could you please dial my husband's work number?"
Though confused, Rosario obeyed. "Yes madam."
**********************
Night time was finally approaching. The stars have been brighter these last few nights and the winter chills finally reached Seattle. The fireplace had to be turned on, because it has been VERY cold in these last few days. This week has been horrible, but Laguna managed to squirm through it all okay without having to take another stress pill.
"Yes, I'll get to that." He stopped to listen to the other line. "Yes, of course! I understand that we need to fix the sewers, but the workers are on their holiday break right now. I will make sure to inform them on the situation." Sighing, he put the phone back down on its receiver and leaned back on his leather chair. Laguna rubbed his temples gently and tried to remove his thoughts from the stressful week, but the calm wouldn't come.
Suddenly, he heard the door open, but Laguna did not look up. "Who is it? I need to finish my work." The footsteps were getting nearer, telling him that whoever was in there with him now was not cooperating. "I said…!" Irritated, he slammed his hand down on the table and jerked his head up, only to find his wife standing there with fear in her eyes, holding a piece of paper in her hands. "Raine? What-?"
Raine put the paper down on the table, her fear and sadness never leaving her. "Squall…he's gone…"
"What do you mean he's gone?" He picked up the paper and unfolded it slowly. The moment he saw the note, he immediately recognized Squall's neat handwriting. No matter how large his hands were and how rough because of having to fix his car every time it was broken down, his handwriting were that of a real writer. Inside, the note read:
Dear Mother, I have gone to Washington, D.C. to speak with someone very important. It's a very personal matter that I alone need to fix. Please don't worry. I still remember where Aunt Edea lives. I'll be back right after I'm done. Love Squall.
"And he was six when we visited my sister," Raine added.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to think. All he knew that if he ignored his son's request again, his son would never speak to him. A few days ago, when Squall approached him, asking him to help Rinoa, Laguna paid no heed in the matter. His son's outburst of words directed towards him played over and over in his head until it really made him see that Squall was crying out for happiness.
Laguna stared at his writing a couple of times and the meaning of the note, before looking up eagerly at his wife. He stood up and turned around to grab his leather jacket hanging on the coat rack beside the closet. "Raine, don't answer any of the phone calls right now."
"Where are you going?" Raine asked, confused at her husband's sudden behavior. She watched as Laguna gave her a peck on the lips, before heading for the door.
"D.C." was all Laguna's answer before leaving the room for good. Raine stood there, bewildered, speechless beyond words and rather confused about what had just happened. She ran to the window, removed the blinds and looked out to see that the car Laguna only drives on occasion, the Mini- was moving from the driveway. When it reached the end of the driveway, it made a sharp turn and sped off away from the mansion.
***************
What was he doing here? It was getting dark now. He's been walking for hours, trying to remember exactly where his Aunt's house was. It's been eleven years since he's been in D.C. Although he remembered the quiet streets and the chilling night air, Squall had no memory whatsoever on the famous places of this city. Nor Edea Kramer's house address, or number or… He turned a street corner and continued to look around for any signs that would bring back his memory. Suddenly, Squall stopped in his tracks. It seemed that luck was on his side when he noticed, just ahead of him, a very familiar middle aged woman, carrying two large bags of groceries, walking towards his way. Squall approached her and nodded. "Hello, Auntie," he spoke.
Edea gasped in surprise when she heard that voice, almost dropping the groceries on the floor. "What the-?" She looked up and noticed a very familiar young man standing there, with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. "Who are…?"
"Don't you remember me, Auntie?" he asked.
The dark haired woman thought for a minute, and then her eyes suddenly lit with familiarity. "Squall!? Squall Leonhart????" Shocked, her hands slip from around the groceries, but Squall, with his fast reflexes, quickly caught both of them in his arms and sighed, giving back the groceries to his Aunt.
"Yes it's me, Auntie."
Edea looked at him up and down. "MY! I haven't seen you in ages! Look at you! You're all grown up and handsome too! You have your mother's eyes, but you look SOOO much like your father!"
Squall grimaced at the mention of his father. Annoyed, he turned away. "I'm not father…"
The dark haired woman pursed her lips together. She had forgotten about the very bumpy relationship between Squall and his father. Four years ago, when Squall hit high school and when Laguna became Mayor of the town, Raine suddenly called her and told her about the sudden change in Squall and Laguna's relationship. According to Raine, their fight wasn't about yelling or hitting, it was more like a quiet, no eye contact type…ones that was usually involved when a husband and a wife argues. Although this was different; it was involving a father and a son. "What brings you here?" she finally asked, after a moment of dead silence.
Squall seemed relieved when Edea changed the subject. "I am here on a personal matter which I can't tell you right now."
Edea smiled, adjusting the bags in her arms. "That's understandable. I can't force you to tell me." She began walking down the street with Squall by her side. "So you came all the way here by yourself and you don't even have a place to stay?"
"How did you know?"
His auntie looked at him and smiled again. "Well it seems you were trying to find my house. I understand that because you haven't been here for eleven years and you were just six years old!"
"That's why I'm glad that I bumped into you. I need a place to stay, that's all and it's only for a week. The man I need to speak to is away on a business trip and he won't be back for a week." Suddenly, Squall was revealing to his aunt his real intentions on being in D.C.
"A man?" What Squall said really hit the curiosity in his Aunt.
So…Squall had no choice. Sighing, he said, "All right, I'll tell you everything when we get to your house. Let me help you with that." He grabbed one of the grocery bags and followed his Aunt down the street.
**************
"Thank you, Squall. I really appreciate your help," Edea said when they reached the front porch. She reached inside her pocket and took out her house keys and inserted the right key into the lock. When it was fully inside, she twisted the door open, revealing a very dark and empty house.
Squall followed his Aunt inside and looked around. "Why is it so quiet? Where are Jason and Uncle Cid?" He joined his Aunt in the kitchen and put the grocery bag he carried on the counter beside the other.
Edea began taking out some of the items from the bag and putting them on the counter. "They went away on a camping trip with his coworker and his son." She handed Squall a tomato can. "Could you be a dear and help me put these cans inside that cupboard over there?" She nodded her head towards a cabinet, a third down to her left in the corner.
Squall obeyed, picking up two at a time of the cans and putting them inside the almost empty cupboard. When she mentioned Jason and his Uncle spending time together as father and son, he felt a pang of jealousy. "I see…So Uncle Cid and Jason are close?" He didn't want to look his Aunt in the eyes because he was afraid that she would see the jealousy written all over his face.
Edea looked up, noticing now the tense muscles that formed on his shoulders. "Yes, they are," she replied, curiously staring at his back. "Squall, why don't you sit down here for a minute and we'll talk. Something is bothering you…"
The young brunette looked at her, surprised. "What about the cans?"
His Aunt shook her head. "They can wait. Come sit down." She patted a seat right next to her. Reluctantly, Squall sat down on the chair and nervously looked around in order to keep his eyes from looking into hers. "Squall, please look at me. I know we haven't talked for a while, but when you were young, you used to tell me a whole bunch of things about what's been happening at your school and who your friends were…what happened?"
Squall thought for a moment and then nodded. He remembered he and his Aunt were very close, even at a tender age of six. The little boy, who spoke rarely about anything to anyone, especially to his mother, was suddenly talking when he came to visit his Aunt, Uncle and cousin in Washington, D.C. Edea had some kind of special 'power' that makes people want to share with her. It must be because Edea Kramer had the face of someone you could REALLY trust. Not that his parents weren't trustful. But she had the power to make people want to tell her their secrets. "I guess I'm all grown up," was Squall's reply after a moment of silence.
Edea laughed. "Yes, that must be it. Being a teenager is very difficult. Jason used to be like that too, but ever since he graduated from University, he decided to have bonding time with his father so he took him to a camping trip."
"Jason did?" Squall asked, surprised.
His Aunt nodded. "Yes. It was actually Jason's idea." When she noticed his disappointed look, Edea cleared her throat and smiled, placing a hand on top of his. "Squall, I know that it's very rough between you and your father…believe me, Cid and Jason had it rough too, but in time, you will be able to understand one another."
Squall turned away, removing his hand from underneath hers. "What's there to understand? He's just too busy to spend time with his family."
"Don't be selfish, Squall," Edea replied. Shocked to hear her say that, Squall looked back at her, his eyes widening in surprise. "I know that you're longing for his attention, but do you have any idea how long he's been working to be where he is now? If your mother understands that, why can't you?"
That hit a bone in Squall's heart. Was he being selfish all this time? No… What about Cloud? He needs a father to be there to help him with his homework, not his big brother. He needs a father to teach him about girls, not Squall who has a girlfriend with a baby from someone else. He doesn't need a seventeen year old who is just trying to figure out his place in the world. He needs a grown up man who has seen it all from the very beginning. "Why are you calling me selfish? What about Cloud? This is all about Cloud…"
Edea lifted up a single eyebrow. "Is it?" She leaned back on her chair and sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "Squall, let me tell you a story about the time before your mother and father met…" But she stopped when Squall wasn't listening.
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard this before," Squall replied, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't want to hear it again."
"So I guess your mother's told you already about how your father grew up in a terrible life? How he was beaten almost everyday by his father? How his father used to tell him that he was a mistake to begin with?"
That got Squall's attention. "What?"
Edea unfolded her arms and rested them on her side. "Your father worked very hard in high school, so he could graduate and move out of his house. That was his dream at the time so he didn't have to see his father everyday. He was a very smart boy and when he just turned eighteen, he left the house and moved here in Seattle where he met your mother."
Squall looked away once more. He stood up and turned around. "I'm quite tired. Where can I sleep?"
Edea nodded. "You can sleep in Jason's old room, just down the hall to your right."
"Thanks," Squall mumbled, leaving the kitchen quickly to get rid of the awkwardness between him and his Aunt. He didn't need to hear it. He couldn't stand the thought of feeling sorry for his father. Was he supposed to feel sorry? What does that have to do with him? Or Cloud? With those questions running in his head, Squall closed the door behind him and plopped down on the daybed arranged at the far end of the wall. The window was just opposite of the bed where he could see the moonlight shining down through the window on top of a tall table covered in white sheets. It was an eerie room now, not exactly the room he remembered playing in with Jason. But it was still a room, nonetheless. There was still a bed he can sleep on and a nice comfy pillow. He closed his eyes and decided to dream about Rinoa carrying her baby, a wide smile on her face. Her happiness was the only thing that mattered to him and if they ended up not being together, then he wouldn't mind. She would be with Diana, the only person in her life who is more important to her. Even though he felt the sadness creeping up inside him, Squall pushed it away and decided that it was no longer in his personality to be selfish.
He was just about to completely let sleep drown him, when he heard the phone ring from the kitchen. He could hear Edea's footsteps as she went to answer the phone. "Hello?" he heard her say.
***Edea's POV***
"Hello?" she answered. She could hear silence on the other line, until she heard a buzz, followed by a deep, urgent voice.
"Edea? Edea, this is Laguna," the voice replied. "Is Squall there?"
Edea nodded as if he was there standing in front of her. "Yes, he is. He went to bed now. He's fine."
"So he remembered where you lived?"
"Yes, he did," she lied. There was no reason for him to worry now.
"Good, I'm on my way there. I'm just catching up a taxi from the airport," he replied. In the background, Edea could hear loud noises of cars honking and people talking. For a while, there was another silence on the other line, when she suddenly heard a whistle in the background, followed by, "Taxi!"
"You're on your way here now?" Edea asked. She could hear a car door closing, telling her that a taxi stopped for him.
"Yes, I am," Laguna replied. "I'll be there in forty-five minutes…that is if the traffic moves…" She could hear the irritation in his voice. There was another pause, followed by a long, deep sigh. "How is Squall?"
"He's doing fine," Edea retorted.
"Good…good…I'll hang up now. I'll see you soon." Without giving Edea a chance to reply, he hung up the phone, but it didn't bother Edea at all. Edea and Laguna don't talk to each other that much. It wasn't because they disliked each other, it was the fact that Laguna was always away on a political meeting somewhere in one of the farther cities and wouldn't come home until early the next day. Then again, she wasn't his sister. She was Raine's sister and sisters bond more than a sister-in law and a brother-in law. Edea put the phone back in the receiver and sighed, sitting back down on the chair in the dining room. When she looked up, she was startled to find Squall standing there, his arms folded and his back resting on the cool white wall of the hallway.
"Was that him?" he suddenly asked.
Edea nodded. "He's on his way here now."
Squall didn't look at her instead he unfolded his arms and said, "Whatever…" before going back into his room again.
GoodGurl: YES! Finally done this chappy! Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope you guys were informed about Squall's situation and about Laguna's situation…soon, there will be more tension between father and son! Stay tuned! ;)
Chapter 22 – Where's Squall?
There are many things in life that he truly cared about... School, grades, friends and Rinoa, Rinoa, Rinoa. He remembered, the first time they met, Squall knew there was just something in the girl that made him change. He didn't know HOW he changed, but he somehow did. He felt happier- confident about his life (except of course towards his father). He would do anything for her… even taking a plane ride to Washington, D.C. and abandoning his family back home. He knew 'he' would be there, living a happy, normal life with his family, with a deep, dark secret hidden from his wife. This man, who slept with a fifteen year old girl and impregnated her; no one knew his name, except for Rinoa's trusted friend and mother-figure, Patti. That's how he knew to head on to Washington, D.C. and face him once and for all and fix this problem. Ian Adamms, the man with a good job, a nice house, a beautiful family, was in for a surprise of his life.
Squall stood, trying to figure out what to say, before knocking on the beautiful Victorian home's antique door. He had to wait a couple of seconds, before a Mexican middle-aged woman, dressed in a maid's uniform answered it. "May I help you?" she asked.
He cleared his throat and as clear as possible said, "May I please speak with Ian Adamms?"
The woman looked at him suspiciously. "And whom may I ask wishes to speak with him?" she asked with an accent.
Squall took a deep breath. "My name is Squall Leonhart and I'm a friend….of his… I'm an old friend…" When he noticed her look, he cleared his throat and added, "We go way back."
"Who is it, Rosario?" another woman's voice spoke. A figure revealed herself from behind the maid. She was a thirty something year old red and curly haired woman dressed in casual clothes. "May I help you?" she asked when she noticed Squall standing there.
"My name is Squall Leonhart. I wish to speak with your husband Mrs. Adamms…" He sounded formal, more like some kind of cop doing an investigative research.
The woman seemed to have an impression that he was, when she asked, "What has my husband done now?" That question surprised Squall a whole lot. So he DID sound like a police officer.
"Um…" He shook his head, eager to let her know that he wasn't a cop after all. Besides, he was far too young to be playing 'cop.' "I am not a cop, Mrs. Adamms. I just need to speak with him about something. Is he here?"
"There's no need to be formal here, young man. I'm not the Queen of England. Call me Bridgette. And Ian isn't here right now. He is away on business trip…" When she noticed the disappointment on his face, she added, "He'll be back in a week."
Squall nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Well then, I'll be back in a week to meet with him." He put the other strap on his other shoulder and adjusted both of them on his back. "Have a good afternoon, Mrs…. Bridgette."
"Wait…" Squall stopped at the sound of the woman's voice and turned around. She took a step forward down the stairs and looked at him curiously. "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Seattle, Washington," he replied.
Bridgette folded her arms across her chest, and then casually lifted up a single eyebrow. "Seattle, eh? I never thought someone like you would travel all the way here just for something small."
Squall shook his head. "It's not something small. And I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Mrs. Adamms."
The last words threw Bridgette off guard. "What?"
Squall nodded again. "I better go. I have already interfered with your day. I'll come back in a week." With that said, he turned and left.
Bridgette watched the young man leave. "Who was that, madam?" her maid asked. The younger woman sighed and closed the door. Without answering Rosario's answer, she walked to the kitchen and said, "Rosario, could you please dial my husband's work number?"
Though confused, Rosario obeyed. "Yes madam."
**********************
Night time was finally approaching. The stars have been brighter these last few nights and the winter chills finally reached Seattle. The fireplace had to be turned on, because it has been VERY cold in these last few days. This week has been horrible, but Laguna managed to squirm through it all okay without having to take another stress pill.
"Yes, I'll get to that." He stopped to listen to the other line. "Yes, of course! I understand that we need to fix the sewers, but the workers are on their holiday break right now. I will make sure to inform them on the situation." Sighing, he put the phone back down on its receiver and leaned back on his leather chair. Laguna rubbed his temples gently and tried to remove his thoughts from the stressful week, but the calm wouldn't come.
Suddenly, he heard the door open, but Laguna did not look up. "Who is it? I need to finish my work." The footsteps were getting nearer, telling him that whoever was in there with him now was not cooperating. "I said…!" Irritated, he slammed his hand down on the table and jerked his head up, only to find his wife standing there with fear in her eyes, holding a piece of paper in her hands. "Raine? What-?"
Raine put the paper down on the table, her fear and sadness never leaving her. "Squall…he's gone…"
"What do you mean he's gone?" He picked up the paper and unfolded it slowly. The moment he saw the note, he immediately recognized Squall's neat handwriting. No matter how large his hands were and how rough because of having to fix his car every time it was broken down, his handwriting were that of a real writer. Inside, the note read:
Dear Mother, I have gone to Washington, D.C. to speak with someone very important. It's a very personal matter that I alone need to fix. Please don't worry. I still remember where Aunt Edea lives. I'll be back right after I'm done. Love Squall.
"And he was six when we visited my sister," Raine added.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to think. All he knew that if he ignored his son's request again, his son would never speak to him. A few days ago, when Squall approached him, asking him to help Rinoa, Laguna paid no heed in the matter. His son's outburst of words directed towards him played over and over in his head until it really made him see that Squall was crying out for happiness.
Laguna stared at his writing a couple of times and the meaning of the note, before looking up eagerly at his wife. He stood up and turned around to grab his leather jacket hanging on the coat rack beside the closet. "Raine, don't answer any of the phone calls right now."
"Where are you going?" Raine asked, confused at her husband's sudden behavior. She watched as Laguna gave her a peck on the lips, before heading for the door.
"D.C." was all Laguna's answer before leaving the room for good. Raine stood there, bewildered, speechless beyond words and rather confused about what had just happened. She ran to the window, removed the blinds and looked out to see that the car Laguna only drives on occasion, the Mini- was moving from the driveway. When it reached the end of the driveway, it made a sharp turn and sped off away from the mansion.
***************
What was he doing here? It was getting dark now. He's been walking for hours, trying to remember exactly where his Aunt's house was. It's been eleven years since he's been in D.C. Although he remembered the quiet streets and the chilling night air, Squall had no memory whatsoever on the famous places of this city. Nor Edea Kramer's house address, or number or… He turned a street corner and continued to look around for any signs that would bring back his memory. Suddenly, Squall stopped in his tracks. It seemed that luck was on his side when he noticed, just ahead of him, a very familiar middle aged woman, carrying two large bags of groceries, walking towards his way. Squall approached her and nodded. "Hello, Auntie," he spoke.
Edea gasped in surprise when she heard that voice, almost dropping the groceries on the floor. "What the-?" She looked up and noticed a very familiar young man standing there, with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. "Who are…?"
"Don't you remember me, Auntie?" he asked.
The dark haired woman thought for a minute, and then her eyes suddenly lit with familiarity. "Squall!? Squall Leonhart????" Shocked, her hands slip from around the groceries, but Squall, with his fast reflexes, quickly caught both of them in his arms and sighed, giving back the groceries to his Aunt.
"Yes it's me, Auntie."
Edea looked at him up and down. "MY! I haven't seen you in ages! Look at you! You're all grown up and handsome too! You have your mother's eyes, but you look SOOO much like your father!"
Squall grimaced at the mention of his father. Annoyed, he turned away. "I'm not father…"
The dark haired woman pursed her lips together. She had forgotten about the very bumpy relationship between Squall and his father. Four years ago, when Squall hit high school and when Laguna became Mayor of the town, Raine suddenly called her and told her about the sudden change in Squall and Laguna's relationship. According to Raine, their fight wasn't about yelling or hitting, it was more like a quiet, no eye contact type…ones that was usually involved when a husband and a wife argues. Although this was different; it was involving a father and a son. "What brings you here?" she finally asked, after a moment of dead silence.
Squall seemed relieved when Edea changed the subject. "I am here on a personal matter which I can't tell you right now."
Edea smiled, adjusting the bags in her arms. "That's understandable. I can't force you to tell me." She began walking down the street with Squall by her side. "So you came all the way here by yourself and you don't even have a place to stay?"
"How did you know?"
His auntie looked at him and smiled again. "Well it seems you were trying to find my house. I understand that because you haven't been here for eleven years and you were just six years old!"
"That's why I'm glad that I bumped into you. I need a place to stay, that's all and it's only for a week. The man I need to speak to is away on a business trip and he won't be back for a week." Suddenly, Squall was revealing to his aunt his real intentions on being in D.C.
"A man?" What Squall said really hit the curiosity in his Aunt.
So…Squall had no choice. Sighing, he said, "All right, I'll tell you everything when we get to your house. Let me help you with that." He grabbed one of the grocery bags and followed his Aunt down the street.
**************
"Thank you, Squall. I really appreciate your help," Edea said when they reached the front porch. She reached inside her pocket and took out her house keys and inserted the right key into the lock. When it was fully inside, she twisted the door open, revealing a very dark and empty house.
Squall followed his Aunt inside and looked around. "Why is it so quiet? Where are Jason and Uncle Cid?" He joined his Aunt in the kitchen and put the grocery bag he carried on the counter beside the other.
Edea began taking out some of the items from the bag and putting them on the counter. "They went away on a camping trip with his coworker and his son." She handed Squall a tomato can. "Could you be a dear and help me put these cans inside that cupboard over there?" She nodded her head towards a cabinet, a third down to her left in the corner.
Squall obeyed, picking up two at a time of the cans and putting them inside the almost empty cupboard. When she mentioned Jason and his Uncle spending time together as father and son, he felt a pang of jealousy. "I see…So Uncle Cid and Jason are close?" He didn't want to look his Aunt in the eyes because he was afraid that she would see the jealousy written all over his face.
Edea looked up, noticing now the tense muscles that formed on his shoulders. "Yes, they are," she replied, curiously staring at his back. "Squall, why don't you sit down here for a minute and we'll talk. Something is bothering you…"
The young brunette looked at her, surprised. "What about the cans?"
His Aunt shook her head. "They can wait. Come sit down." She patted a seat right next to her. Reluctantly, Squall sat down on the chair and nervously looked around in order to keep his eyes from looking into hers. "Squall, please look at me. I know we haven't talked for a while, but when you were young, you used to tell me a whole bunch of things about what's been happening at your school and who your friends were…what happened?"
Squall thought for a moment and then nodded. He remembered he and his Aunt were very close, even at a tender age of six. The little boy, who spoke rarely about anything to anyone, especially to his mother, was suddenly talking when he came to visit his Aunt, Uncle and cousin in Washington, D.C. Edea had some kind of special 'power' that makes people want to share with her. It must be because Edea Kramer had the face of someone you could REALLY trust. Not that his parents weren't trustful. But she had the power to make people want to tell her their secrets. "I guess I'm all grown up," was Squall's reply after a moment of silence.
Edea laughed. "Yes, that must be it. Being a teenager is very difficult. Jason used to be like that too, but ever since he graduated from University, he decided to have bonding time with his father so he took him to a camping trip."
"Jason did?" Squall asked, surprised.
His Aunt nodded. "Yes. It was actually Jason's idea." When she noticed his disappointed look, Edea cleared her throat and smiled, placing a hand on top of his. "Squall, I know that it's very rough between you and your father…believe me, Cid and Jason had it rough too, but in time, you will be able to understand one another."
Squall turned away, removing his hand from underneath hers. "What's there to understand? He's just too busy to spend time with his family."
"Don't be selfish, Squall," Edea replied. Shocked to hear her say that, Squall looked back at her, his eyes widening in surprise. "I know that you're longing for his attention, but do you have any idea how long he's been working to be where he is now? If your mother understands that, why can't you?"
That hit a bone in Squall's heart. Was he being selfish all this time? No… What about Cloud? He needs a father to be there to help him with his homework, not his big brother. He needs a father to teach him about girls, not Squall who has a girlfriend with a baby from someone else. He doesn't need a seventeen year old who is just trying to figure out his place in the world. He needs a grown up man who has seen it all from the very beginning. "Why are you calling me selfish? What about Cloud? This is all about Cloud…"
Edea lifted up a single eyebrow. "Is it?" She leaned back on her chair and sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "Squall, let me tell you a story about the time before your mother and father met…" But she stopped when Squall wasn't listening.
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard this before," Squall replied, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't want to hear it again."
"So I guess your mother's told you already about how your father grew up in a terrible life? How he was beaten almost everyday by his father? How his father used to tell him that he was a mistake to begin with?"
That got Squall's attention. "What?"
Edea unfolded her arms and rested them on her side. "Your father worked very hard in high school, so he could graduate and move out of his house. That was his dream at the time so he didn't have to see his father everyday. He was a very smart boy and when he just turned eighteen, he left the house and moved here in Seattle where he met your mother."
Squall looked away once more. He stood up and turned around. "I'm quite tired. Where can I sleep?"
Edea nodded. "You can sleep in Jason's old room, just down the hall to your right."
"Thanks," Squall mumbled, leaving the kitchen quickly to get rid of the awkwardness between him and his Aunt. He didn't need to hear it. He couldn't stand the thought of feeling sorry for his father. Was he supposed to feel sorry? What does that have to do with him? Or Cloud? With those questions running in his head, Squall closed the door behind him and plopped down on the daybed arranged at the far end of the wall. The window was just opposite of the bed where he could see the moonlight shining down through the window on top of a tall table covered in white sheets. It was an eerie room now, not exactly the room he remembered playing in with Jason. But it was still a room, nonetheless. There was still a bed he can sleep on and a nice comfy pillow. He closed his eyes and decided to dream about Rinoa carrying her baby, a wide smile on her face. Her happiness was the only thing that mattered to him and if they ended up not being together, then he wouldn't mind. She would be with Diana, the only person in her life who is more important to her. Even though he felt the sadness creeping up inside him, Squall pushed it away and decided that it was no longer in his personality to be selfish.
He was just about to completely let sleep drown him, when he heard the phone ring from the kitchen. He could hear Edea's footsteps as she went to answer the phone. "Hello?" he heard her say.
***Edea's POV***
"Hello?" she answered. She could hear silence on the other line, until she heard a buzz, followed by a deep, urgent voice.
"Edea? Edea, this is Laguna," the voice replied. "Is Squall there?"
Edea nodded as if he was there standing in front of her. "Yes, he is. He went to bed now. He's fine."
"So he remembered where you lived?"
"Yes, he did," she lied. There was no reason for him to worry now.
"Good, I'm on my way there. I'm just catching up a taxi from the airport," he replied. In the background, Edea could hear loud noises of cars honking and people talking. For a while, there was another silence on the other line, when she suddenly heard a whistle in the background, followed by, "Taxi!"
"You're on your way here now?" Edea asked. She could hear a car door closing, telling her that a taxi stopped for him.
"Yes, I am," Laguna replied. "I'll be there in forty-five minutes…that is if the traffic moves…" She could hear the irritation in his voice. There was another pause, followed by a long, deep sigh. "How is Squall?"
"He's doing fine," Edea retorted.
"Good…good…I'll hang up now. I'll see you soon." Without giving Edea a chance to reply, he hung up the phone, but it didn't bother Edea at all. Edea and Laguna don't talk to each other that much. It wasn't because they disliked each other, it was the fact that Laguna was always away on a political meeting somewhere in one of the farther cities and wouldn't come home until early the next day. Then again, she wasn't his sister. She was Raine's sister and sisters bond more than a sister-in law and a brother-in law. Edea put the phone back in the receiver and sighed, sitting back down on the chair in the dining room. When she looked up, she was startled to find Squall standing there, his arms folded and his back resting on the cool white wall of the hallway.
"Was that him?" he suddenly asked.
Edea nodded. "He's on his way here now."
Squall didn't look at her instead he unfolded his arms and said, "Whatever…" before going back into his room again.
GoodGurl: YES! Finally done this chappy! Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope you guys were informed about Squall's situation and about Laguna's situation…soon, there will be more tension between father and son! Stay tuned! ;)